No picture this week, I decided it was a bit too wet to get the camera out! And hasn't it been wet....

After last weeks struggle on the new lake I was hoping for a few more bites this week, and while a walk around the lake unsurprisingly didn't show any signs of fish (it was like a monsoon!), I still decided that I didn't want to draw an island peg. I ended up drawing later than usual in the queue as I was holding an umbrella up over the organisers. My hand went in the bag and out came 72 - happy with that, in the open water and with a few stick-ups in the edge to target too.

On putting my box down it was obvious that the stick-ups are much less prevalent than they were, due probably to the destructive nature of the geese on the lakes! I had three rigs up for the day, one for 13m in to the open water, one for 5m and a shallow rig for the stick-ups. The rigs were pretty similar for the two lines in front, except the 5m line had a smaller .3gr NG Decker float as opposed to the .4gr for out long, where the depth was about five-and-a-half foot, and more liable to catch the wind, which thankfully was largely off my back. The depth was perhaps 6-8in shallower closer in on the 5m line. Terminal gear was the same for both, with .15 mainline to a .13 hooklink and a size 20 Fox Series 2 hook. The margin rig was a small 4x10 Preston Pink float (a small in-line dibber which doesn't catch when dragged in to the stick-ups) with a .14 hooklink and a size 16 Kamasan B611 hook which is better suited to fishing caster which I like for the stick-up pegs. Lastly, all the rigs were matched to Preston 13h lakky on a pull-bung. I intended to fish meat and corn at 5m, and just corn long, while feeding a little hemp on both lines.

On the whistle I fed both the lines in front before shipping out to the long line with a grain of corn. I'd been out for perhaps five minutes before the float dinked under and I soon had a 4lb common in the net - a decent start! I did comment to a late arrival who was behind me at the time that a fish first chuck isn't always a good thing! I gave it another twenty minutes or so out with no more joy, and with signs of fish in the stick-ups I topped up the line and baited up the shallow rig. Fishing double caster here didn't take long to get a response, and three bites in the next thirty minutes led me to finish the first hour on four carp. Two were the decent 4lb stamp while the other two were perhaps 5lb the pair.

The line seemed to dry up after that so I plugged away at the long line, steadily dripping corn and a little hemp on to it via a cad-pot. I couldn't raise a response from it but it often takes a while to bring open water swims to life so I persevered with it, while also dripping a little meat and corn by hand at 5m. On odd occasions I saw fish in the stick-ups but they were very spooky and would back away from the pole the moment I dropped the rig in. I was fishing with perhaps 14in of line above the float on this rig (set about 12in deep). Fishing a longer line may have got an extra bite or two, but it also leaves you less in control and more liable to lose fish in the reeds so I kept it as it was - no point hooking them and losing them!

Two hours passed (and lots of rain) and I decided that perhaps the long line wasn't going to produce to drip feeding, so opted to give it half a pot of bait. It hadn't produced a sign since that first drop in so I wasn't going to kill it. I dropped in at 5m and had a bite on corn almost instantly but the fish came off after a few seconds. It didn't feel a big fish, more like a scatty small carp, but I couldn't get another bite after that.

I'd now fallen behind peg 44 who I could see catching fishing to the lilly bed in the peg that is now just visable, but beyond that I couldn't see anyone with more fish than me. A quick look the in the margins again saw me land a decnt common of about 5lb, followed not long after by a 4lb'er but a lost fish saw the swim fade again. With an hour and a half to go the rain eventually stopped and the sun even came out! This seemed to have a positive effect on the swim and a few fish moved in to the stick-ups and I managed another three in the next thirty minutes. Two smaller carp about 3lb, plus another fish around 5lb. I then bumped a fish so decided to rest it and with an hour to go dropped in on the 5m line with meat. I was just about to leave the line after five minutes with no indications when the float vanished, leading to a good tussle before I put the net under what what turned out to be the best fish of the day - a ghostie of around 7lb.

I couldn't raise another bite from there so I plugged away in the margin for the last part of the match, managing another three carp. They were not big fish but it had pulled me away from everyone I could see. The whistle went and I finished the match on thirteen carp and thankfully dry after a little spell in the sun!

I was one of the last to weigh in and when the scales arrived at me the top weight was 40lb 2oz, with 32lb behind that. I knew I'd manage a little over that and my fish nudged the scales to 47lb 8oz. The peg to my right was the last to weigh in and they put 29lb on the scales, giving me enough for the win on what must have been one of the wettest days I've ever fished on!

Next week sees the bank-holiday pairs match on Monday, but I may well sneak out for the knock-up arranged for the Sunday too, meaning a rare double header for me and two updates next week. Hopefully it'll be much drier too, fingers crossed.